Abstract #0579

The FA Connectome: A Quantitative Strategy for Studying Neurological Disease Processes

Stephen Rose^1,2, Kerstin Pannek,^1,3, Olivier Salvado⁴, Parnesh Raniga⁴, Fusun Baumann⁵, Robert Henderson⁵

¹UQ Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; ²Centre for Medical Diagnostic Technologies in Queensland, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; ³Centre for Magnetic Resonance, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; ⁴The Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; ⁵Neurology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Structural connectivity indices derived using diffusion based HARDI or q-ball imaging in conjunction with functional parcellation of the cortex from high resolution MRI, has provided insight into the anatomical conformation of many of the important neural networks in the living brain. We are developing the concept of the FA connectome, i.e. combining a measure of fractional anisotropy, a quantitative diffusivity metric that reflects the integrity of WM pathways, with the connectivity matrix. When applied to study Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, this technique shows identifies a number of key corticomotor pathways with reduced mean FA compared to control participants.